What is natural insulation? What’s the price €/m2 in Barcelona?
What are the advantages?
In this post we explained the types of facades and our recommendations.
In case you do not know us yet, let us introduce ourselves.
We are ERA architects, one of the young, committed and creative Architecture studios in Barcelona.
In this post you can find our simple explanation of Natural Insulation and our professional recommendations.
Attention!
Prices shown here are only for the material without installation nor taxes (21%).
Also mind that prices should be taken carefully since materials have diverse categories, qualities and prices also vary trough time and market.
What is a Natural Insulation?
The thermal insulators for construction coming from natural raw materials.
What advantages does a Natural Insulation have?
- transpirable
- great thermal capacity
- They also isolate acoustically
- high durability (for a lifetime)
- 0% of petroleum
- Healthy (they do not emit gases or toxic elements)
- They reduce harmful particles (they regulate the humidity in a natural way)
- renewable (natural raw material)
- recyclables (degradable)
- decrease the ecological footprint
- local production
What natural insulators are there?
CORK
It is one of the most expensive options.
It is easy to find a local supplier for a km0 construction in Catalonia.
Its advantages over other natural insulators are:
- bulk placement or panels
- Thermal conductivity = 00.45 W / mK
- Built-in energy = 837 wh / kg
- greenhouse gas emissions = 0.24 KgCO2 / kg
- toxicity = no data
- price = € 20 / m2
HEMP or LINEN
It is a cheaper option.
It implies an easy, fast growing crop and low environmental impact.
- Very breathable
- Thermal conductivity = 00.41 W / mK
- Built-in energy = 252 wh / kg
- greenhouse emissions = no data
- toxicity = no data
- price = € 13 / m2
WOOD
They are wood fiber panels recovered from the sawmill treatments.
- Placement on panels
- Thermal conductivity = 0.005 W / mK
- Built-in energy = 492 wh / kg
- greenhouse emissions = no data
- toxicity = no data
STRAW
Traditional insulation in clay and straw constructions.
It is also found in pressed panels or also mixed with plaster, cement …
- Very breathable
- Thermal conductivity = no data
- Built-in energy = no data
- greenhouse emissions = no data
- toxicity = no data
- price = no data
SHEEP WOOL
Its advantages over other natural insulators are:
- increases its thermal capacity when wet
- warm in winter, cool in summer
- natural condensation control
- easy to place
- greenhouse gas emissions = 0.71 KgCO2 / kg
- toxicity = 0.078 M2 / yr
- price = € 10 / m2
COTTON
From cotton fibers left overs.
It has a very low thermal conductivity.
Its advantages over other natural insulators are:
- warm in winter, cool in summer
- easy to place
- greenhouse gas emissions = 0.46 KgCO2 / kg
- toxicity = 0.068 M2 / yr
- Price = € 6 / m2
In our architecture studio in Barcelona ERA architects, we are able to say that the most widespread insulator in Spain is rock wool. It is a non-natural, toxic insulator and processes with high emissions of greenhouse gases. Let’s compare the benefits:
WOOL OF ROCK
- cheap
- easy to place
- greenhouse emissions = 1.41 kg / kg
- toxicity = 0.418 M2 / yr
- Price = 2 € / m2
Hope this is helpful!
Best of luck on this adventure.
See you on the next post,
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